Psychology 31: Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Spring 2022 Syllabus
Last Updated: 2022-01-24
Course Description
Lectures, Recordings, and Slides
Lectures for this course are scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays (except in the cases of holidays and holiday-related changes to the Tufts Academic Calendar) from 4:30 – 5:45 pm. All classes will be broadcast at https://tufts.zoom.us/my/dbarch. When classes are held in person, they will be in Robinson 253 and on Zoom.
Recordings of each class will be posted to the Media Gallery on Canvas and available within 1 – 2 days. Lecture slides will be available prior to each class in the Modules section on the course Canvas page.
Lab Sections
Labs meet in Room 109 (Computer Lab) of the Psychology Building. Your teaching assistants will provide zoom links for virtual attendance.
Overview
This is designed to be a first course in statistics with a focus on applications in the behavioral sciences. In this course, we will discuss some of the most essential statistical methods that used to perform and interpret research in the behavioral sciences. We will also discuss principles of probability and inference and their importance in psychological research and beyond. Finally, we will build laboratory skills by using statistical software to analyze and interpret data.
Teaching Team
Professor
Dan Barch
Teaching Assistants
Graduate Assistants
Paige Hickey
Lab Sections:
A: Thursday 1:30 – 2:45 pm
B: Thursday 2:45 – 4:00 pm
Student Hours:
Monday and Wednesday 11 am – 12 pm
Zoom:
https://tufts.zoom.us/j/99303669747?pwd=QkdUVzJQZVVYdlF5TmI0bDExVy84UT09
email:
Ashlynn Keller
Lab Sections:
D: Thursday 7:45 – 9:00 pm
F: Friday 10:15 – 11:30 am
Student Hours:
Monday and Tuesday 11:00am – 12:00 pm or by appointment
Zoom:
https://tufts.zoom.us/j/92920897844?pwd=a2dVMzZLOTh3STdNZS95WmRqUUJodz09
email:
McKinzey Torrance
Lab Sections:
C: Thursday 6:30 – 7:45 pm
E: Friday 9:00 – 10:15 am
Student Hours:
Wednesday 2 – 4 pm
Zoom:
https://tufts.zoom.us/j/6556751308
email:
Undergraduate Assistants
Maycon Santos
Lab Sections:
B: Thursday 2:45 – 4:00 pm
F: Friday 10:15 – 11:30 am
Student Hours:
Wednesday 10 – 11 am and Friday 3 – 4 pm
Zoom:
https://tufts.zoom.us/j/2914684073
email:
Brandy Rasche
Lab Sections:
C: Thursday 6:30 – 7:45 pm
D: Thursday 7:45 – 9:00 pm
Student Hours:
Monday 6:00 – 7:00 pm and Tuesday 10:00 – 11:00 am
Zoom:
https://tufts.zoom.us/my/brandyraschetufts
email:
JoJo Zhang
Lab Sections:
A: Thursday 1:30 – 2:45 pm
E: Friday 9:00 – 10:15 am
Student Hours:
Tuesday 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Zoom:
https://tufts.zoom.us/my/jojozhang
email:
Course requirements
Quizzes:
There will be three quizzes during the session. The quizzes are semi-cumulative: each will focus on separate content, but some concepts will apply to topics throughout the course. You may use calculators, statistical software, your notes, corrected homework assignments, and/or lab assignments during the quiz. Please complete the quizzes on your own: consulting other students and/or internet sources for answers will not provide an accurate assessment of your learning (and it’s, you know, cheating).
Homework
Each week, you will receive a problem set designed to give you practice and help you master the concepts discussed in class.
Lab work
Throughout the course we will be using statistical software to evaluate data. During class, you will be given problem sets to help build those skills.
Recommended Text
Nobody likes those professors who assign their own book to their classes so they could make money off their students.
Barch, D.H. (2019). Statistics for Everybody. Kendall Hunt.
So, here we are. The text is intended to complement the instruction given in lectures and lab sections. The course schedule below indicates the chapters in the text that support each topic. Depending on what works best for you, you may choose to read the text material before the corresponding lecture, after the corresponding lecture, or both.
The text is recommended – not required – because I understand that it represents a substantial financial burden. All material for which you will be responsible on homework assignments, quizzes, and the final exam will be covered in lecture and/or lab.
Accomodations
I will make all efforts to comply with any and all accommodations. In addition, here is the University’s stated policy:
“Tufts University values the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty, recognizing the important contribution each student makes to our unique community. Students with disabilities are assured that the Student Accessibility Services office will work with each student individually to ensure access to all aspects of student life. Tufts is committed to providing equal access and support to all students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may access their curricula and achieve their personal and academic potential. If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodations please contact the Student Accessibility Services office at 617-627-4539, or through their email at Accessibility@tufts.edu to make an appointment to determine appropriate accommodations. Please be aware that accommodations cannot be enacted retroactively, making timeliness a critical aspect for their provision.”
Plagiarism (bad)
Look, I shouldn’t have to tell you not to cheat and I think it rather insulting of you for me to do so. The policy for this course is: if there is evidence that a student has passed off the work of others as their own, no credit will be given. Also, I am required by University bylaws to report any incidents of “plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of student academic misconduct” to the Student Affairs Office, and those cases will be adjudicated through the Student Judicial Process.
If you are having difficulty completing your work, please reach out to the teaching team. We are more than happy to help and we would much rather work our way to a solution together than for you to jeopardize your academic integrity.
Grading System
Quizzes: 30%
Homework: 30%
Final Exam: 20%
Lab Work: 20%
| Grade Definitions | ||
|---|---|---|
| A+: 98 – 100% | A: 93 – 97% | A-: 90 – 92% |
| B+: 87 – 89% | B: 83 – 86% | B-: 80 – 82% |
| C+: 77 – 79% | C: 73 – 76% | C-: 70 – 72% |
| D+: 67 – 69% | D: 63 – 66% | D-: 60 – 62% |
| F: 0 – 59% |
Late Work and Lab Attendance
The teaching team understands that hardship and disruption are likely to be more common this semester than in years past (and, hopefully, years future). There will be no penalty for late work. We ask only two things:
Please be respectful of the workload of the teaching team: the due dates are meant both to keep you on track and also so that the work of assessing assignments is spread out for your teaching assistants.
If you anticipate being unable to turn in an assignment on or before the due date, please give your teaching assistants notice when possible.
If, in any given week, you cannot attend the lab section in which you are enrolled either virtually or in person, please contact your teaching assistants as soon as possible to arrange making up your work. Please do not attend a different lab section, as doing so tends to lead to logistical difficulties for the teaching team.
Grading policy
If, at any point, you have a question about how your work was assessed, you may ask your teaching assistant for clarification. If there is a dispute regarding how work was assessed across different lab sections, please contact me directly.
Course Schedule
| Day | Agenda | Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1: January 17 - January 21 | ||
| Wednesday | Course Introduction | No Homework |
| Lab | No Labs This Week | |
| Week 2: January 24 - January 28 | ||
| Monday | Statistics and Parameters | Homework 1 |
| Wednesday | Types of Statistics | |
| Lab | Introduction to Programming in R | |
| Week 3: January 31 - February 4 | ||
| Monday | Visual Displays of Data | Homework 2 |
| Wednesday | Introduction to Probability Theory | |
| Lab | Data Visualization | |
| Week 4: February 7 - February 11 | ||
| Monday | Odds | Homework 3 |
| Wednesday | Conditional Probability | |
| Lab | Probability Problems | |
| Week 5: February 14 - February 18 Quiz Week | ||
| Monday | The Normal Distribution | Homework 4 & Quiz 1 |
| Wednesday | Binomial Probability | |
| Lab | Probability Distributions | |
| Week 6: February 21 - February 25 | ||
| Monday | No Class – Presidents’ Day | Homework 5 |
| Wednesday | Hypothesis Testing with the Binomial Part I | |
| Thursday | Hypothesis Testing with the Binomial Part II | |
| Lab | No Labs This Week | |
| Week 7: February 28 - March 4 | ||
| Monday | Confidence Intervals with Proportions | Homework 6 |
| Wednesday | The \(\chi^2\) Test of Statistical Independence | |
| Lab | Binomial Tests and Confidence Intervals | |
| Week 8: March 7 - March 11 Quiz Week | ||
| Monday | Assumptions of Parametric Tests | Homework 7 & Quiz 2 |
| Wednesday | Correlation | |
| Lab | Scatterplots | |
| Week 9: March 14 - March 18 | ||
| Monday | Regression | Homework 8 |
| Wednesday | The \(t\) Distribution and One Sample \(t\)-tests | |
| Lab | Sampling Distributions | |
| SPRING BREAK: March 21 - March 25 | ||
| No Classes | ||
| Week 10: March 28 - April 1 | ||
| Monday | Repeated-measures \(t\)-tests | Homework 9 |
| Wednesday | Independent-samples \(t\)-tests | |
| Lab | \(t\)-tests | |
| Week 11: April 4 - April 8 | ||
| Monday | Confidence Intervals with the \(t\) Distribution | Homework 10 |
| Wednesday | Make-up Day: No Class | |
| Lab | No Labs This Week | |
| Week 12: April 11 - April 15 Quiz Week | ||
| Monday | Effect Size and Power | Homework 11 & Quiz 3 |
| Wednesday | Independent-samples ANOVA | |
| Lab | ANOVA in R Part I | |
| Week 13: April 18 - April 22 | ||
| Monday | No Class: Patriots’ Day | Homework 12 |
| Wednesday | Effect Size and Post-Hoc Tests with ANOVA | |
| Friday | Repeated-measures ANOVA | |
| Lab | No Labs This Week | |
| Week 14: April 25 - April 29 | ||
| Monday | Factorial ANOVA | Homework 13 |
| Wednesday | Conclusion | |
| Lab | ANOVA in R Part II/Review | |
| End-of-Semester: May 2 – May 13 | ||
| Monday | Course Review | |
| Friday, May 6th - Friday, May 13th | Final Exam | |
Note: All dates are subject to change
Final Exam
The final exam will be available on Canvas from Friday, May 6th – Friday, May 13th.
The final exam will be cumulative and will comprise a combination of multiple-choice, true/false, and short-numerical-answer questions.
Psychology Department Mission Statement
Preparing undergraduate and graduate students to ask and answer science-based questions about human and animal behavior by introducing students to the data, theories, and research methods from different fields of psychology – biological, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social.
Upon completing a degree in psychology there are 10 goals/skills that have been delineated. Psychology 12 will help undergraduate students to achieve the following skills from the list identified by the Department:
Understand core psychological concepts and processes such as evidence, hypothetical constructs, operational definitions, and inferences.
Gain an understanding of basic quantitative and analytic methods used for scientific investigation in psychology. This involves learning the assumptions and use of these basic statistical analyses: probability, tests of frequency, correlation, t-tests, ANOVA
Develop oral and visual communication skills for reporting empirical research findings
Develop writing, graphic, and verbal skills to communicate empirical data in an appropriate scientific format (typically APA format)